Shark dissection

chondrichthyes

group of fish that have a skeleton made of softer, flexible cartilage

dorsal

top or back & fins at the back to stablize them

ventral

bottom of the dogfish shark, lighter in color than the dorsal surface

pelvic

posterior ventral fin on the shark, equivalent to legs on a human used for stabilization during swimming

pectoral

anterior ventral fin on the shark, equivalent to the arms on a human, used for lift & steering in different directions

caudal

posterior tail fin on the shark that moves side in order to propel shark forward during swimming

clasper

found in the males only, rear of the pelvic fin used for transferring sperm into the female body

cartilage

skeletal muscles of sharks, skates, and rays that iiis softer, lighter and more flexible than bone

spiracles

vestigal anterior gill slits directly behind the eye that take in water and provide oxygen directly to the eye and parts of the brain

cerebellum

largest part of brain used for balance & cooordination

cerebrum

part of the brain that controls thinking & voluntary actions

medulla

part of the brain that controls involuntary actions. it is attached to spinal cord

optic

controls vision

olfactory

controls sense of smell. sharks can smell blood in water almost a mile away. nostrils are not used for breathing

auditory

related to the sense of hearing

ampullae of lorenzi

pores at the front of the sharks that can detect weak magnetic fields given off by other fish and can detect temp changes

cloaca

location at the ventral surface that releases wastes and reproduction matierals. male sharks insert clasper into cloaca of female

gill raker

structures attached to the gills that help to remove food and large particles

bile

matieral prodcued by liver of the shark that break down fats. it is stored in the gallblader

hepatic

structures related to the functioning of the liver. the liver is the largest organ and is filled with oil to keep the shrk boyant

artery

blood vessels that carries blood away from the two chambered heart

vein

blood vessels that carries blood back to the two chambered heart

uterus

site of the shark embryo development insde female

conjunctiva

eye covering

colon

large intestine